<p>I have a son at SMU (but not in engineering), and I have a son seriously considering UTD (for mechanical engineering). That second son is also considering SMU. He’s also considering UT Austin and TAMU. We have visited all 4 schools.</p>
<p>I’ll primarily address the SMU vs. UTD part of your question.</p>
<p>Those two schools are worlds apart in terms of the “feel” of their campuses. SMU is a gorgeous, shady, tree-lined, beautifully landscaped campus with a whole lot of students from very wealthy families. Not everybody who attends has money (my son, for example, doesn’t), but one is definitely aware that there’s a lot of wealth on that campus.</p>
<p>UTD is a fairly barren, North Texas-looking campus, with few trees and little shade. We think it has a very “studious” feel to it. It kind of feels like a corporate headquarters to us. When we were there last (about 6 weeks ago), we noticed that they’ve got a lot of new landscaping in place. It seems like they’ve been busy planting some trees and growing some flowers to spruce the place up a little. There’s also a huge, new reflecting pool and fountains that will be operational very soon. But for a long time to come, UTD will be a sunny, unshaded, North Texas-looking “headquarters” type location, we think. Not that we’re complaining … but the two campuses are definitely strikingly different in appearance.</p>
<p>We all love SMU so far. My son will be a sophomore there this year. He loves his teachers, the size of his classes, and his friends. The education seems to be fantastic. My son is in the University Honors Program, which translates to some smaller classes and specific professors. He has found his classes to be very engaging. His major is in the Meadows School of the Arts, where a lot of the kids are more middle-class socio-economically. He does not feel intimidated by the large proportion of kids from very wealthy families, but he is definitely aware of that aspect of SMU. The kids he hangs with from Meadows have similar interests to his own – which include very little to no “partying.” SMU is thought of as a party-school by a lot of people, but the administration is trying to change that image. My son says that there is a whole lot of drinking and partying by a lot of people – but he also says that he has no trouble finding people with non-partying interests like his own. He’s big into the arts and culture scene – and since the Meadows School of the Arts has such a big presence on campus, there’s plenty to do for people with his interests. There is absolutely no red tape with SMU so far. A lot of public schools seem to have a lot of red tape, administratively. Lots of hassles and required phone calls, etc, to get basic things done – especially when something goes awry. Well, SMU seems to have NONE of that. They are very well-organized and efficient. As a parent, I just love that!</p>
<p>In terms of engineering and an engineering reputation, I think there’s little doubt that UTD has SMU hands-down. There is definitely a very “engineering feel” to UTD. And my younger son and I really like that about that school. But SMU is trying very hard to build up their engineering program. They’ve already put a ton of money into it. The engineering buildings on SMU’s campus are to die for! They’re gorgeous! And they’ve got a contract to work with Lockheed Martin Skunkworks. There’s a lot of community support to get the SMU engineering program up and running. It’s very exciting. The faculty and staff are super-impressive. We had the opportunity to meet with tons of people in the program, all the way up to the dean. Very, very impressive people. Energetic, smart as can be, incredible people-skills. We were very fired up about it when we left. But there’s no denying that their engineering program is not well-known or widely respected at this time.</p>
<p>UTD is relatively small and close-quartered. My younger son has only two reservations about the place – one, that the ME program is very new there and won’t be accredited until the first student graduates from the program next year; and two, that it kind of feels like a very big high school to him. He and I both feel very good on the campus. It has a kind of cozy, home-y, pleasant, peaceful atmosphere. Everybody likes different campuses for different reasons. We really like the feel on this campus. BUT, when we visit, it does kind of feel like a huge high school, in a way. There’s just something about it that we can’t put our fingers on – maybe because it’s so compact and centralized on this big, flat, unshaded piece of land? But, we’ve met a lot of faculty and staff there, and a few students, and the people are very impressive in their warmth, professionalism, and smarts. My son is very interested in their McDermott Scholars program. If you haven’t checked it out, you should. It’s very competitive, but amazingly generous! Accepted students basically get paid to attend! Amazing.</p>
<p>We spent 2 days at TAMU in June. As a parent, I was fairly unimpressed – huge, massive school with very little personalized attention on our visit. The buildings were very worn. The staff were relatively unimpressive. The kids were more unimpressive – to me. They seemed geeky and poorly socialized with equally poor communication skills. They did not seem smart at all! The “tradition” they’re all so proud of wore really thin on me. One student guide after the next went on and on about this tradition and that tradition. I thought all the “tradition” was overdone – it wasn’t anything I could relate to, for myself or for my son. It all seemed kind of “melodramatic” to me. I can’t explain that. My son, who spent an entire day in an organized honors-invitational program without any parents, loved the school and most of the people he met. He came away from there feeling very good about it. I’m not exactly sure why. TAMU is the one school that we’ve visited together that left us with entirely different perceptions. In all other cases, we’ve agreed as to whether it was good fit for him. I work with a whole lot of people whose kids go to TAMU. The kids love it, I’m told, and the parents love it.</p>
<p>We visited UT Austin once for a day, and then my son attended their 3-day honors invitational program alone. We liked what we saw. We had great days on each occasion. But, for some reason that we can’t name, neither of us was greatly motivated by the place. We know it’s supposed to be an incredible school. It has a fantastic reputation for engineering, amongst other things. But in terms of fit … well, we were both neither here nor there about it. It’s absolutely MONSTROUS. And not very personal at all – at least not when you’re visiting, apparently. It’s a very happening place. Lots going on all the time. Very active and exciting. We were told that the honors programs make it a smaller, more personal experience for students. We’re not so sure. We’re having trouble envisioning this school to be personal or navigable or in any way “cohesive.” It’s just not the kind of place my kids picture themselves. They like to know their teachers and feel connected to their teachers and peers. They did not feel that way on either visit. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t that way for attending students. I can only comment on our visits as prospective students/family.</p>
<p>I think sports and Greek life are huge at UT Austin, and like you, my son is not interested. I think sports are huge at TAMU as well. At the very least, football rules at both those schools. It’s HUGE. Basketball is big at UTD, in a not-so-big, yet relatively successful way. I think soccer might be big there too. Again, in a non-fanatical way. The level of sports at UTD is just about right for my son. Football is making a return to SMU, in terms of the success of the program, but also in a sort of non-fanatical way. Other sports like swimming and track and field, etc are also good at SMU. If you’re involved in sports at SMU, as either a spectator or participant, there are tons of good options. If you’re not into sports at SMU, you’re not going to feel left out. It’s a perfect mix for my kids.</p>
<p>I hope this helps. It’s only one parent’s view of the schools you were asking about. Keep in mind that everybody has a different idea of what feels like a great fit. I’ve described how my son and I felt on each of these campuses. You might have an entirely different impression. My family is a slightly-upper-middle-class family, living in a suburb, with a huge interest in the arts and big involvement in music, to include opera, orchestras, string instruments, and voice. We all value a great education, life-long learning, strong academic programs, and good interpersonal relations. For us, schools like UTD, SMU, TCU, and Rice U are better fits than schools like TAMU and UT Austin – in general. But when one is considering an engineering degree, the tables turn just a little – a school’s reputation for engineering plays a bigger role than when considering other majors. Like you, we’re trying to weigh just how much emphasis to put on the school’s reputation for engineers.</p>
<p>Good luck in your search, calvadosshan!</p>